Driving school closures leave students searching for answers, options

Time 2 Drive abruptly shut its doors in April

The driver's education process hit a big road bump for some Maryland teenagers enrolled in a local driving school. The business, called Time 2 Drive, abruptly shut its doors in April with no explanation. The driving school had five locations and the customers received no explanation about why the business shut down or what will happen to the hundreds of dollars they have paid.

The driver's education process hit a big road bump for some Maryland teenagers enrolled in a local driving school.

The business, called Time 2 Drive, abruptly shut its doors in April with no explanation.

Advertisement

The driving school had five locations and the customers received no explanation about why the business shut down or what will happen to the hundreds of dollars they have paid.

Among those upset about the closure is Phyliss Mosca, whose daughter, Bella, was one of the students at the school. Bella's driver's education experience has not gone as smoothly as she had expected because of the closure.

"I was just shocked that they didn't let anybody know," Mosca said.

Mosca said that she paid $320 for Bella to attend Time 2 Drive. Bella completed some of the program before arriving for one of her final classes on April 19 only to discover the school was closed.

"The doors are locked," Mosca said. "There's no one there. They're not answering the phone. We called all their other locations. They're not answering the phone. Some of them are disconnected It's really frustrating.. >

Black curtains cover the location on York Road in Towson. A note on the door said to contact the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.

An MVA official said that the business, which includes locations in Baltimore, Harford and Anne Arundel counties, had a proper license before it abruptly shut down in April.

The official refused to provide direct contact information for the owner.

"We have not been able to get in touch with them as of this point," Jody Thomas, with the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland, said. "They closed their doors. There was five locations that we know of and they just seemed to have come and gone."

In complaints to the BBB, consumers said they have several classes left while some said they never even started. Most of the students paid close to $400.

The MVA is telling customers that they can get driving records for proof of completed classes and file a claim to possibly get financial reimbursement.

Mosca said she ended up paying even more money for a new school and she has no faith that she will get her money back.

"I don't feel confident that I would get any of that (money)," Mosca said. "They shut their doors they're not doing anything."

The MVA regulates driver education programs in the state but it doesn't run the schools so it can't make promises about reimbursement, or legal options.

The following are links mentioned in Kai Reed's report Wednesday night on 11 News: